


if I can't find the cure (I'll fix you with my love)

by badbloodfoxes



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, mention of previous suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 01:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10980786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badbloodfoxes/pseuds/badbloodfoxes
Summary: Cheryl learns to love the water again, learns to love life again. She learns to love Veronica too.





	if I can't find the cure (I'll fix you with my love)

Cheryl used to love the water.

Her parents called her a fish out of water growing up, back when the world was new and Riverdale hadn’t stolen everything she loved.            

Sometimes she’d sneak away from the _help_ , as her parents called her babysitters, with Jason all the way down to Sweetwater river. He’d pack a picnic basket, little triangle sandwiches with the perfect balance of peanut butter and strawberry jelly (her favorite). They sat on their red checkered blanket with their sandwiches and glass bottle sodas, the scene almost dream like in her memory now.

She used to run to the water, smile wide and eyes bright, and she’d swim. Jason always watched her, standing waist deep in the water. She never needed his help, but when she’d get tired of swimming his arms would always be waiting to carry her to shore.

Then Sweetwater river took him from her. Then the truth came out, and she found her father swinging from the roof of their barn.

It seemed almost poetic at the time, dying in the same place Jason had.

But she saw him beneath the water, bullet hole still in his head. And instead of carrying her in his arms to shore he tried to drag her down with him.

Cheryl doesn’t swim anymore.

 

* * *

 

She thought after burning down her home she’d be sent away, the same way Alice Cooper sent Polly away. Instead she found herself sitting at the Cooper dinner table every night, avoiding the distasteful glances of Alice and Hal. Betty and Polly insisted she come to stay with them, away from her mother’s talons.

Yet she still feels them digging into her shoulders.

Not that she isn’t appreciative of the Coopers’ kind gesture, but their house feels like a smaller, only slightly less dangerous version of Thornhill.

She doesn’t feel entirely safe there, despite how Polly and Betty try.

She finds there’s only one place she feels safe.

The first time it happens is after dinner. Cheryl claims to not feel well and go to bed, needing some space to breathe. The roof isn’t very high up, and it reminds her of sneaking out to the cemetery grounds with Jason, only this time her destination is a bit farther away.

It’s quiet as she walks the town. It would feel serene if she didn’t feel the need to look over her shoulder, darkness lurking in every shadow.

Cheryl knocks on the large apartment doors, greeted by Smithers.

“Hello, Miss Blossom,” she almost flinches at the use of her last name. It feels more like a curse than a blessing now. “I will let Miss Lodge know you’re here.”

“Thank you, Smithers,” she says, her voice soft.

He was there that night, when Veronica walked her through the lobby, wet, and shaking, and cold. She never saw pity in his eyes, not that night and not now, only a flash of concern so brief she would have missed it if she blinked.

Smithers sends her up, and her hands start to shake.

“Cheryl?” She looks up from where her eyes had been trained on the floor. Veronica’s eyes look her up and down and like Smithers, she sees no pity in those beautiful brown eyes. “Are you okay?”

In all her life in Riverdale, Cheryl thinks no one has asked her that question more than Veronica Lodge.

“I just,” she doesn’t quite know what to say. She rubs her arms; tries to quiet the chatter of her teeth. “Can I sit by your fire?”

A flicker of understanding crosses Veronica’s face, and her lips form a tight smile. “Yeah. Of course you can. Come on, I’ll make us some more hot chocolate.”

Veronica’s arm wraps around her shoulders as she’s led inside. True to her word, Veronica makes hot chocolate, handing a steaming mug to Cheryl, and they sit in comfortable silence in front of the fireplace.

Cheryl stares into the flames, not even tearing her gaze from them when she feels a blanket being placed around her shoulders. She thinks back to the first day she and Veronica had met, how she said she’d wanted fire.  

She tries not to think about how hers burnt out.

Instead she lets the warmth of the fire and hot chocolate spread through her chest, through her body. It reaches everywhere but her fingertips, despite how she clings to the outside of her mug.

She catches Veronica’s concerned looks in the corner of her eye. Her heart skips a beat and her chest gets even warmer each time she sees Veronica’s eyes flick over to her.

She thinks this is nice, how they can spend time together, silence stretching before them with only the flickering of flames to entertain them. She feels safe in this moment.

The sound of Veronica’s phone dinging with a text message startles her, and finally gets her to look away from the fire. The clock on the nearby table reads 11:54, and Cheryl realizes she’s overstayed her welcome.

“I asked Betty to come drive you back,” Veronica looks sheepish, something Cheryl’s never seen on her. “It’s too cold out to walk.”

Cheryl blushes, an odd sensation washing over her.

“I should go,” she stands to take her mug to the sink, but Veronica takes it from her, setting it on a table near the couch to be dealt with later.

“I’ll walk you out.”

Veronica links their arms together as they make their way to the elevator. The ride down is silent, but Veronica keeps looking at her like she wants to say something.

“Cheryl?” Veronica’s grip tightens on her arm in the lobby, not enough to hurt, never enough to hurt, but enough to get her to wait. Brown eyes search her own before Veronica gives her a soft smile. “There’s always hot chocolate and a warm fire here when you need it.”

“Thank you,” she whispers out, and Veronica bumps shoulders with her and leads her to where Betty’s car is waiting.

Despite how warm the inside of the car is, Cheryl isn’t nearly as warm as when she sat by the fire at Veronica’s side.

  

* * *

 

 

Cheryl sits alone at lunch now. She sits at an empty table, not even a tray of food in front of her. She passes the time playing on her phone, avoiding the pitying gazes of her classmates. Several weeks ago she would have looked back in defiance. She was _Cheryl Blossom_. She didn’t need their pity.

Now she finds her name horrifying. _Blossom_. At this point nearly every member of her family had wilted. Jason. Daddy. Maybe this was how she was meant to wither away like every plant does.

A soft “hey,” pulls her out of her thoughts. Cheryl looks up away from her phone to see brown eyes and raven hair standing on the opposite side of the table with a tray. Veronica gives a gentle smile and gestures to the seat. “Can I sit?”

_Yes_ , burns in the back of her throat, but she can’t quite make the word leave her lips. She nods instead, and Veronica smiles brighter as she sits and starts talking all about her day.

Cheryl doesn’t say much, occasionally humming her acknowledgement, but she doesn’t touch her phone again for the remainder of the entire lunch period.

After lunch Veronica walks her to her next class, though Cheryl _knows_ Veronica’s next class is on the opposite side of the school. Briefly, just for a second, she questions Veronica’s motive, but that’s the old Cheryl. She knows that Veronica is caring and sincere, no motives to her actions

The next day Cheryl keeps to her normal routine. She sits at her table near the corner, near the door in case she wants, needs to leave.

Veronica doesn’t ask this time. She just sits across from her, though this time her tray has two plates on it. Veronica picks up one of the plates, sliding it in front of where Cheryl’s hands rest on the table, holding her phone.

Cheryl looks down at the plate as Veronica sets a plastic fork just to the side of it. There’s not much on the plate, just a few sliced strawberries (her favorite). Veronica says nothing about it, instead starting into a story about Keller and Moose. Cheryl picks up the fork as she listens, moving some of the slices around her plate before finally picking one up with her fork and eating it.

She finishes the strawberries, and tries not to blush at the way Veronica smiles at her while telling another story.

Veronica brings her strawberries every lunch after. Cheryl always finishes them.

Just to keep seeing her smile like that.

  

* * *

 

 

Cheryl’s on the elevator up to Veronica’s apartment, just like she is on most days after school. She’s even gotten Smithers to start calling her _Cheryl_ rather than _Miss Blossom_.

Veronica’s usual smile isn’t there to greet her, and most of the lights are off. She hears the familiar click of heels across the floor, thinking it might be Veronica on her way out.

Instead she’s met with Hermione’s icy gaze and disdainful voice.

“I assume you’re here to see, Veronica.”

Cheryl nods, not trusting her voice. Her gut twisting with shame at Hermione’s words, the implication of her tone. Hermione no doubt thinking, she’s _still_ coming here.

“She texted a few minutes ago saying she’s on her way back from Pop’s,” Hermione shrugged a coat onto her shoulders, “you can stay and wait for her. I have errands to run.”

Hermione doesn’t wait for Cheryl’s response, just shuts her in the empty apartment. Cheryl’s surprised the woman would let her be there alone.

She sits on the sofa in front of the fireplace, the place where she typically feels safe and warm, and feels nothing.

The fireplace is dark, not a trace of ash or soot from any fire that might have been there before, and it reminds her of herself. She was once filled with light and fire, but now only an empty kind of darkness resides in her.

But then the door opens and slams shut, and for the briefest instance Cheryl sees Veronica and feels _something_. She doesn’t have time to contemplate what as she sees the tears on Veronica’s cheeks.

"Veronica?” The brunette turns to her, moving to wipe her eyes.

“Cheryl,” Veronica shakes her head, putting a forced smile on her lips. (Cheryl knows it’s forced. She recognizes the only smile she knows how to make now). “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Are you okay?” Cheryl skips the preamble. With how many times Veronica has seen her vulnerable, this is the first time Cheryl has seen her cry.

Veronica’s mouth moves, as if to say she’s fine, but her shoulders sag and Cheryl scoots close to her as Veronica sits beside her.

“I broke up with Archie.”

Cheryl doesn’t know what to say.

“Oh,” she shifts, clasping her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Veronica scoffs. “He was changing, getting darker. I couldn’t let him drag me down with him.” (Cheryl thinks of how Jason reached out to her in Sweetwater river, of how he tried to pull her down into the cold water with him). Veronica shakes her head again. “That probably sounds horrible but-”

“No one stays good in this town,” Cheryl interrupts, and finds herself looking back at the empty fireplace.

“Jason did.” She knows Veronica’s trying to be comforting, to be helpful, but she scoffs.

“And look where that got him.”

Veronica takes her hand. Cheryl looks into warm brown eyes and takes a sharp, quiet breath.

“There’s still good here, Cheryl,” Veronica says, and Cheryl realizes she’s right.

The only damn good thing left in this town is Veronica Lodge. The one person who didn’t leave her alone. The person who saved her life. The reason she keeps coming back to the Pembrooke in the first place.

Cheryl thought she could find that feeling of safety just by coming back to the Pembrook, but the fireplace isn’t warm. _Veronica_ is. Veronica’s hand is soft against hers, her eyes are soft looking at her, and Cheryl wonders if her lips are soft too.

 

* * *

 

Life in Riverdale goes on. School continues, and Cheryl does maintain her 4.0 GPA. People are happy. To them the nightmare of her brother’s murder is over. They celebrate with alcohol and music so loud they can’t hear themselves think. Cheryl avoids the parties for the first several months.

She goes to this one, mainly at Veronica’s insistence.

She shows up alone and _fashionably_ late, to some jock’s small house. She doesn’t know his name, not that she really cares. The place isn’t nearly as nice as Thornhill, and the alcohol is decidedly cheap unlike what she brought out for her parties from her family’s wine cellar. But all that’s gone, and it’s entirely her fault.

So she takes the first wine bottle she finds (Cheryl Blossom does _not_ drink beer) and carries it around with her until she’s emptied it.

Veronica’s at the party, of course, but Cheryl doesn’t look at her. She doesn’t think she’d be able to handle the concern in those brown eyes.

The backyard has a pool, and she walks beside it looking at the water, how fake blue it looks. She stumbles trying to walk to a nearby cooler. Getting drunk and wearing five inch heels may not have been the best idea.

Then there’s a hand shoving her shoulder, and the pull of gravity. The water splashes around her and Cheryl finds herself looking up at the night sky through the shimmer of the water’s surface.

For an instant she sees ice, feels trapped, but the water isn’t cold and Archie’s shadow isn’t hovered above her. She looks in front of her, but her brother isn’t there. He can’t drag her down with him this time.

She swims to the surface, wiping the water out of her eyes. A jock is pointing and laughing, no doubt the one who pushed her in. Others are laughing around him, and Cheryl forgets her fear of the water. She’s not afraid.

She’s furious.

She feels the fire, _her_ fire. It’s stronger in her now than it’s been in months, since that night in the barn. Cheryl walks out of the pool, glaring at the jock and striding to him until he stops laughing completely. She chews him out. Yells at him. Screams at him. She’s not sure what she’s saying but whatever it is has him in tears.

Suddenly she’s reaching to her side, feeling the neck of a bottle in her grasp. She lifts it up, venom still spewing from her mouth and now he’s looking at her in terror.

There’s a hand on her wrist and brown eyes looking up at her.

_Veronica_.

Veronica’s hand on her wrist is gentle, not gripping but pressed against it, to stop her from whatever she might have done. The fire in her chest calms, until she can’t hear the blood rushing in her ears and registers the tears falling down her face.

She doesn’t move as Veronica takes the bottle from her grasp, replacing it with her hand and dragging her away. Away from the jock, away from the party, away from the house. She feels the looks people are giving her, but sees the glares Veronica gives them and something lighter warms her chest.

They don’t speak the rest of the way, but Cheryl knows where they’re going. They don’t say anything to Smithers while they empty the lobby, and he doesn’t say anything to them either.

Veronica leads her to their usual spot by the fireplace. There’s a familiar blanket over her shoulders, but no hot chocolate, not this time. Veronica sits next to her, looking like she wants to say something, looking like she wants to say a lot of things.

“Are you okay?” Veronica eventually asks.

She’s been asked that question so often lately, but she can’t remember the last time she gave an honest answer.

“No,” her voice cracks. She feels tears in her eyes and doesn’t bother to keep them from falling.

Cheryl blinks her eyes open, and immediately feelings of warmth and safety overcome her. Her brows furrow. She doesn’t remember anything after falling into Veronica’s welcoming arms and finally breaking down.

But the warm clothes she’s wearing aren’t hers and the bed she’s resting in definitely isn’t hers.

A tan neck and collarbone are in her view, and it takes her a moment to register how her head is resting on a slender shoulder, how two arms are wrapped gently but protectively around her waist. She sees raven hair and feels warm breaths against the top of her head.

_Veronica_.

She moves her head, careful not to wake the girl holding her.

Veronica looks so peaceful, so young while she sleeps. Cheryl wants to move her hand, to reach up and tuck the stray raven hairs that have fallen against Veronica’s cheek back behind her ear. She doesn’t.

She doesn’t deserve this. Doesn’t deserve Veronica.

Time and time again the brunette had been there for her, letting her into the Pembrooke whenever she needed. Cheryl had lost count of how many times Veronica had seen her cry.

Cheryl tries to move, tries to leave and go back to her sad, sorry little bedroom at the Coopers’.

But Veronica makes a noise in her sleep. Her arms tighten around Cheryl’s waist and pull her closer. Once again Cheryl finds herself resting on Veronica’s shoulder. She resigns herself to her fate, settling herself into Veronica’s side and letting Veronica’s heartbeat lull her to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Cheryl blinks her eyes open again, still in the same clothes and still in Veronica’s bed. Though she’s not resting on the other girl’s shoulder this time. Instead she’s face to face with Veronica, their noses just inches apart, though Veronica’s arm remains draped over her waist.

Cheryl finds that she really doesn’t mind the feeling.

It doesn’t take long for Veronica to wake up after her.

“Hey,” Veronica mumbles as she blinks her eyes open, brown eyes soft with lingering sleep. Her lip twitches up in a smile, “you know it’s rude to stare at someone while they sleep.”

“Why do you care about me?” Cheryl asks, ignoring the way her cheeks heat up at Veronica’s earlier statement.

“Well,” Veronica pauses, her lips quirked in a thoughtful smile. “You’re beautiful. You’re smart and,” Veronica leans forward, pressing a kiss to the tip of Cheryl’s nose. Cheryl feels her face scrunch up, and again ignores the way her cheeks heat up as Veronica laughs. “You’re really cute when you wrinkle your nose.”

A silence settles between them. Veronica’s eyes turn serious.

“You try to pass off that you don’t care, about anything or anyone, but you do care,” Cheryl’s chest tightens. “You care _so much_ , and I see that. You’re not the shallow, superficial girl you try to scare people into thinking you are.

“After whatever your parents did to you, and after everything that’s happened, you survived it. You came out on the other side.” Veronica smiles again. “ _You_ are the strongest woman I know, Cheryl Blossom.”

Cheryl feels tears on her cheeks. She ignores the logical voice in the back of her mind and surges forward, pressing her lips to Veronica’s in a kiss. She expects Veronica to pull away, to be disgusted, but finds the brunette eagerly responding, and feels the arm around her waist tighten and bring her closer.

The kiss is gentle and chaste. Veronica’s lips are even softer than Cheryl imagined, but at the same time firm, giving and taking with equal measure.

She doesn’t know how much time passes before she needs to pull away for breath. Veronica keeps their foreheads pressed together, nudges her nose against Cheryl’s and Cheryl can’t help but let out a laugh.

Veronica’s eyes flick between Cheryl’s eyes and her lips, her smile wider and brighter than Cheryl’s ever seen.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

Cheryl doesn’t ignore the way her cheeks heat as she blushes.

“Can we do it again?”

Veronica’s melodic laugh as she leans in to kiss her again is music to Cheryl’s ears.

 

* * *

 

They have their first date at Pop’s (because where else?) late at night. Cheryl looks up at the stars as they walk through the streets, and Veronica looks at her.

Veronica orders them two milkshakes and a basket of fries to share. Their fingers sometimes brush as they both reach for a French fry at the same time. They talk about everything and nothing. Veronica laughs when Cheryl’s face scrunches up as Veronica dips a French fry into her chocolate milkshake.

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Veronica says, and Cheryl rolls her eyes but lets Veronica feed her the end of a French fry that’s been dipped in chocolate milkshake.

She’ll never admit it, but it does taste good.

Cheryl can’t remember the last time she’s laughed so much, and it’s all because of the girl sitting in front of her.

Veronica excuses herself to use the restroom and Cheryl watches her go, eyes lingering on the way her hips sway, and wonde.rs if Veronica was doing it on purpose.

“You look better,” a deep voice sounds beside her, and she smiles up to Pop’s friendly face.

“I feel better.”

Pop looks over to where Veronica went and back to Cheryl.

“She’s a good one,” he says with a knowing smile.

“She really is.”

"I’d hold onto her if I were you.”

“I intend to.”

Veronica walks out, looking at both of them with a furrowed brow. Cheryl looks back at Pop and Pop looks at her, and neither can stop the laughter that spills from their lips.

“Am I missing something here, Pop?” Veronica asks with a smile when she finally reaches them.

“Nothin’ at all, dear,” Pop says with a wink to Cheryl.

“Mhm,” Veronica mumbles, arching her brow at Cheryl.

Veronica reaches in her purse to pay for the meal, but Pop puts a hand on her arm.

“Don’t worry about it tonight,” he smiles. “This one’s on me.”

“Thank you, Pop,” Cheryl stands up, looping her arm through Veronica’s and bumping their hips together.

Pop leaves them to it, and they walk back the way they came. Cheryl takes a deep breath of the chilly night air, letting it fill her lungs and send goosebumps down her arms. Veronica, who must have seen this, starts rubbing up and down her arms.

“Are you cold?” Before Cheryl can even respond, Veronica takes off her cape and drapes it around her shoulders.

"You are a great girlfriend,” she says, leaning over to kiss Veronica’s cheek.

“I am, aren’t I?”

Cheryl tips her head back and laughs, relishing in the refreshing chill of the air and Veronica’s warmth at her side.

She thinks she could get used to this.

  

* * *

 

 

Despite the progress she’s made over the past several months, Cheryl is still terrified of cold water.

She refuses to take baths, not in her attached shower-tub at the Coopers’ or in Veronica’s lavish claw foot tub. She hates the feeling of water surrounding her, it’s too familiar to when she almost drowned. The quietness of a bath is too calm, like that brief, fleeting moment beneath the ice where everything went still just before the water filled her lungs.

Cheryl only takes the hottest showers now, the kind that fill her bathroom with steam and painted her pretty porcelain skin red.

Her favorite showers are ones she takes at Veronica’s, _in_ Veronica’s shower. Mainly because Veronica is always waiting for her when she gets out, always kissing at the red skin not covered by her pajamas.

Not to mention Veronica’s _tempting_ offers to join her.

Someday Cheryl will take her up on that.

She’s staying at Veronica’s over the weekend while Hermione is out of town, dealing with something for Hiram Lodge’s return, no doubt. They don’t talk about that, instead distracting each other with lingering kisses.

Veronica cooks dinner for them while Cheryl sits on the countertop to watch, her stomach twisting with heat at the way Veronica bites her lip in concentration.

Of course Veronica lets her taste the food to see if she likes it before she’s finished. Which means Veronica tastes the food for herself and kisses Cheryl, letting her taste her delicious creation on Veronica’s tongue. Cheryl can’t get enough.

Once dinner’s finished and the dishes are done they settle onto the couch watching some movie on Netflix, not that Cheryl pays much attention. It’s hard to concentrate on anything with Veronica’s fingers running through her hair like that.

“I need to shower,” she says from where she has her head rested on Veronica’s shoulder. As much as she’s wanted to avoid it, she can’t put it off much longer unless she wants to shower in the morning, which would mean wasting precious time alone with Veronica.

Veronica hums behind her, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Want me to join you?” A playful bite to her neck makes her yelp, and Cheryl can feel Veronica’s smirk against her skin.

“Not yet,” she whispers into Veronica’s ear, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Veronica’s lips find hers in a chaste kiss.

“Okay,” Veronica whispers as she pulls back, a dopey and adoring smile on her face, one Cheryl knows is entirely reserved for her. “I’ll miss you.”

“I won’t be long,” Cheryl kisses her one last time before walking to the bathroom, giving a little more sway to her hips because she knows Veronica is watching her go.

Yet another reason Veronica’s shower is her favorite: the water is much hotter than it is at the Coopers’. She turns on the water before she even starts undressing, letting it warm up. Stepping into the shower she jolts at the cold water on her skin. Maybe it’s taking longer to warm up. She waits a few minutes more, turning the hot water to the highest setting but nothing changes.

She’s been standing, shivering under the cold stream. It’s never taken this long to warm up before, _why won’t it warm up?_

The cold water seizes up her muscles. She falls back against the wall of the shower but it’s not far enough. The water still falls on her, but she can’t move. She sinks down to the floor, struggling to breathe properly. It’s a vicious cycle, the cold water assaulting her front and the cold tile wall at her back.

Cheryl’s not sure how long she sits like that, knees curled up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs, when she hears tapping against the bathroom door.

“Cheryl? Cheryl you’ve been in there a while? Everything okay?” Cheryl tries to answer her, call out to her, but her voice is caught in her throat.

The bathroom door opens.

“Cheryl!” She watches Veronica stride across the bathroom and into the shower, not bothering to avoid the spray of the water.

Veronica reaches up and the cold water stops. Warm hands cup her cheeks. “Cheryl,” Veronica’s voice is softer now. “It’s okay, baby. I’m right here.”

She lets herself be pulled into Veronica’s warm arms. She shivers there and ducks her face into Veronica’s neck, just breathing her in as Veronica hums a quiet song in her ear, and she slowly calms down.

When she finally does calm she looks up into Veronica’s eyes. She feels more than sees Veronica’s sigh of relief, and smiles up on her.

“Come on,” Veronica says, kissing her forehead. “Let’s get you dry.”

After drying her off and getting her into fluffy pajamas (at Veronica’s insistence) they sit on the couch, resuming their Netflix binge-watch. Veronica doesn’t let go of her the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

Their relationship was never going to stay secret forever. Not that they had truly tried to hide it, only somewhat controlling their affections on school grounds. She heard the Vixens whisper about the lingering gazes between her and their new captain, and it made her giddy.

They talked about it several months into their relationship. Cheryl didn’t want to hide what they had, neither did Veronica.

They weren’t going to do anything big and public about it. But as they held hands in the hall Cheryl could feel the eyes on her.

She wasn’t insecure about their relationship, and likely never would be. But that wasn’t to say that the stares, even some glares, didn’t make her nervous.

Veronica’s hand squeezes hers, and she pulls them to a stop beside some of the lockers.

“What are you-”

Veronica presses her lips to hers in a firm but chaste kiss, one hand at her cheek and the other wrapped protectively around her waist. Cheryl melts, sinking into Veronica’s hold and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend’s neck.

Veronica pulled away first, grabbed her hand, and continued their walk down the hall. The stares didn’t bother her this time, though she did have to laugh as they passed Keller’s locker to a quiet, “I knew it!”

 

* * *

 

 

They’ve found their own spot next to Sweetwater river, far away from where Thornhill used to be and any memories it may have held. Veronica lays out the red and white checkered blanket and Cheryl holds the basket full of triangle cut peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches (though not as perfectly balanced as Jayjay’s).

They sit beneath the trees with a perfect view of the water, the summer sun glittering around them.

Veronica is never far from her side, especially when they walk closer to the water. It still warms her heart to see how much Veronica cares about her.

Cheryl dips her toes in the water, and for the first time in a long time she doesn’t flinch. She turns to look at Veronica, who’s wearing a proud smile on her lips.

And she gets an idea.

She turns so that she’s fully facing Veronica, a mischievous little smirk on her face, and starts walking backwards into the water.

“Cheryl?” Veronica calls, a hint of concern in her voice.

“Aren’t you coming?” Cheryl stops when she’s waist deep in the water, waiting for Veronica’s next move.

There’s not a moment of hesitation. Veronica starts walking toward her, slowly, as if she’s in a trance. It makes Cheryl feel powerful, like a siren, luring her lover to the depths of the sea.

Veronica stops about a foot away from her.

“Well?”

Cheryl bites her lip. Then splashes Veronica.

Veronica squeals as the water hits her, sending Cheryl into a fit of laughter.

“Oh you little!”

They play their game in the sun, and Cheryl doesn’t care how the water soaks through her dress. It soothes her hot skin, and the reflection of the water and summer sun against Veronica’s skin makes her look like some sort of goddess.

Their game only stops when Veronica trips on something and falls completely into the water.

“Ronnie!” Cheryl calls, and she wishes she could stop laughing but this is too funny. She rushes to where Veronica fell, only to find the brunette looking up at her with a pout. “Ronnie, are you okay?”

Veronica jumps up. Cheryl squeals as arms wrap around her waist and pull her close. Their foreheads press together, and Cheryl wraps her arms around her girlfriend’s neck.

“Got you,” Veronica smiles up at her, bumping their noses together.

“You really do.”

Veronica kisses her, and everything feels right. Sunlight warm on her skin, water lapping against her waist where Veronica’s arms fit perfectly around her. Cheryl pushes against her, so their bodies are flush and she can feel Veronica’s warmth against her.

She smiles against Veroinca’s lips, so much so that they can’t keep kissing and it just makes her laugh.

“I think I’m okay,” she says, and watches Veronica’s smile turn into something soft and proud and _loving_.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She leans in for another kiss, and knows she will spend the rest of her life with the woman who makes her brave, the woman who can take away her sadness, the woman she loves.

_Veronica Lodge_.

           

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to laura for helping me edit this, and thank you for all the people who read lil tidbits and supported me in writing this  
> hmu @ xstardusts on tumblr if you like


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